CSI

Today’s Bible readings are Numbers 19:1-20:29, Luke 1:1-25, Psalm 56:1-13, & Proverbs 11:8

Luke 1:1-4

¹Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, ² just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. ³ With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴ so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

There are many people who tend to be thinkers. They want to know something is real before they commit their lives to it. I believe that Luke was that kind of a guy. History tells us that he was a physician & historian. He heard many accounts of Jesus. He had heard stories of His life. Those stories caused him to be interested to find out more.

As he began to search for truth, he found Jesus. In his own account of things, he says that he had carefully investigated everything & what he goes on to write in this gospel is his conclusion. I love the fact that Jesus is who he found & the gospel is what he found.

Luke was really like a CSI agent. He investigated the stories. He made sure that things happened the way they were said to have happened. He searched things out. What were some of the things that he learned?

1.     Jesus was anointed with the Holy Ghost & power. He went about doing good & healing all who were oppressed of the devil.

Luke is also the one who is said to have written the book of Acts. He declares in Acts 10:38 the words that are my first point. The reason that he knew this & wrote these words was because he had met many people who had been healed by Jesus, this is not to mention the fact that he traveled with Paul.

Colossians 4:14

¹⁴ Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings.

This brings me to my second point.

2.      Luke saw the power of the resurrected Christ working in the apostles to perform many miracles.

 As he traveled with Paul he saw supernatural things occur. Luke saw people healed by the power of Christ. Luke saw people delivered by the same power. Luke saw people filled with the Holy Spirit & speak in other tongues. Luke saw people give their lives for the gospel that they came to believe in. These things became apparent to him as the workings of Christ.

The very works he saw convinced him that Jesus was who He claimed to be. The more he searched for the answers the more proof he found that Jesus truly was & is the Messiah. This is what lead him to share the gospel with others & eventually write this gospel.

3.      The empty tomb.

The third point is critical. All of our hope rests in this truth—THE TOMB IS EMPTY!!!  This is what must have sealed the deal for this logical physician. This was scientifically impossible. The only thing that it could mean is that all the claims that Jesus made were true. When you add these all together you come to only 4 logical conclusions:

1.      Jesus saves.

2.      Jesus heals.

3.      Jesus baptizes in the Holy Spirit.

4.      Jesus is coming soon.

              

There are many people today who are like Luke. They just want to know if it is all real. We have the tendencies to get irritated with these people because they often ask questions that we have a hard time answering. I bet Luke asked some questions that were hard for Paul to answer, but they sought truth out together, the believer alongside the unbeliever. It lead to the conversion of Luke & ultimately the writing of this gospel.

Maybe you are one of those people like Luke. You may be a skeptic. Maybe you know somebody who is like a Luke might have been. How do you win them for Christ? Where do you start?

1.      Get them to come to church.

Remember, it all started when Luke got around people who had their life changed by the power of Jesus. When people come to church it is hard for them to deny the fact that God changed the lives of the greatest majority of the people present. They have an opportunity to hear the testimonies of people firsthand, just like Luke. NEVER, I REPEAT, NEVER, UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A TESTIMONY!

2.      Pray for them.

Never forget the power of the supernatural that is availed through prayer. James tell us that prayer makes tremendous power available. Pray for their needs to be met. Let them know you are praying for them. Share with them how God has met needs & worked miracles in the past. This brings me to my last point.

3.      Share the gospel with them REGULARLY.

It may take more than one time hearing the message before people commit to it. Luke heard many stories. Then he saw many signs with own eyes. Don’t get discouraged if it seems like you aren’t getting anywhere. Just like a CSI agent in the real world, it usually doesn’t look like they are going to solve the mystery & then it all comes together for them. As they gather the evidence IT leads them to the truth. Likewise, when people do this concerning Jesus they will find what their heart is looking for. Remember, Jesus is the TRUTH. He is all they will find if they are really searching for TRUTH.

Keep this in mind when you deal with family, children, grandchildren, etc… What many times looks like people rejecting us could just people gathering evidence so they can make a logical decision. Don’t push them away while they are looking for the evidence they need to solve the case.

Pastor Richard Schlotter

How To Avoid Being Swallowed Whole

Today’s Bible readings are Numbers 16:41-18:32, Mark 16:1-20, Psalm 55:1-23, & Proverbs 11:7

Numbers 16:43-46

⁴³ Moses and Aaron came and stood in front of the Tabernacle, ⁴⁴ and the Lord said to Moses, ⁴⁵ “Get away from all these people so that I can instantly destroy them!” But Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground.

⁴⁶ And Moses said to Aaron, “Quick, take an incense burner and place burning coals on it from the altar. Lay incense on it, and carry it out among the people to purify them and make them right with the Lord. The Lord’s anger is blazing against them—the plague has already begun.”

This has got to be one of the most bizarre events in the bible. As I read this story I sense the fear of the Lord come upon me. God is truly a Holy & Awesome God. God took this personal when the people began to form a coup against Moses & Aaron. In fact, Moses was prophesying when he said, “It isn’t Aaron that you are rebelling against it. It is God you are rebelling against.”

So many people have no clue when it comes to submission to authority, especially GOD-APPOINTED authority. In this story we see that it brought destruction upon the people.

It is so easy to get wrapped up in the church drama. There is always somebody who is unhappy. There will always be a few who think they can do everything better than the way it is being done. There are some who think that their calling is to be a critic toward everybody else’s. The problem is that they are often influencers. They use their influence to gather as many to their side as possible. I want to give you a word of caution—AVOID FRIENDSHIPS WITH SUCH PEOPLE.  There are several reasons why you should stay clear of people like this. I want to share a few with you in hopes that it will motivate you to guard your heart in this area.

1.      It will bring destruction into your life.

When the ground opened up & swallowed these few men, it also was going to swallow any that was near. Those who had chosen the side of the rebellious were going to share in the consequences of the rebellious. I’m sure that they never realized it would cost them so much, but it did.

2.      You will lose all joy; & quick.

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. When we are in rebellion toward God, & His designated leaders, we are not in the Spirit but in the flesh. If we continue to sow to the flesh & it’s desires we will reap destruction.

Galatians 6:8

⁸ Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

It is not God punishing us. It is the harvest of sowing in the wrong field. The sinful nature ALWAYS produces death. The Spirit ALWAYS produces life. The choice is ours.

3.      It sets you against God.

Remember, God takes it personal when we rebel against His leaders. It is really rebellion against Him.

Romans 13:2

² Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

So what is the answer? Simple, the answer is Jesus! Moses told Aaron to take some of the coals off the altar & carry it to purify the people. What a picture of what The Holy Spirit does in us. Jesus has poured out His Spirit on all flesh. He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit & fire. That fire that burns in us will purify us from all rebellion as we remain in the Vine.

I want to challenge you today to train your ear to listen to the Holy Spirit instead of the people who are loudest around you. The Spirit is in you. He is there to guide & direct your life. Following Him is the BEST way. If you listen to Him, He will steer you clear from those few who would try to pull you into negative attitudes & thinking.

Take the position of Moses & Aaron & pray for those who are in rebellion. God loves them & wants them to surrender. Cry out for them. Your prayers could be the thing that saves them & turns them around.

Pastor Richard Schlotter

AREN’T YOU GOING TO ANSWER THEM?

Today’s Bible readings are Numbers 15:17-16:40, Mark 15:1-47, Psalm 54:1-7, & Proverbs 11:5-6

Mark 15:1-5

Very early in the morning the leading priests, the elders, and the teachers of religious law—the entire high council—met to discuss their next step. They bound Jesus, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.

² Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

Jesus replied, “You have said it.”

³ Then the leading priests kept accusing him of many crimes, ⁴ and Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer them? What about all these charges they are bringing against you?” ⁵ But Jesus said nothing, much to Pilate’s surprise.

I truly marvel at Jesus when I read this text. I am amazed at His ability to keep silent. This is coming at a time when He is being wrongly accused. This is an argument that He could have won. The Pharisees were in the wrong. They were making things up about Jesus. They were even lying. Jesus could have easily burned them but HE chose to remain silent.

Isaiah 53:7

⁷ He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.

I don’t know about you, but I struggle with keeping my mouth shut at times. Sometimes I have a hard time keeping it shut even when I’m wrong. It, many times, becomes about me wanting to prove my point. Not to mention the fact that if I have been treated harshly, or unfair, I am really going to defend my cause. Yet it wasn’t so with Jesus. I have never been treated as unfair & unjust as He was, yet He remained silent.

I remember a time when I was younger, my wife & I were fighting about something. I was talking to my father-in-law about it. This was one of the many occasions where I was right & knew I was. I was sharing this with him & he said something that I have never forgot. He simply said, “Would you rather be right or would you rather be happy?” At the time I felt like he was badly misunderstanding me. I mean, I was right for crying out loud. Yet, there was great wisdom in his question.

What I have learned over the years is that you never win if it takes ruining the relationship in the process. When this happens, you lose even though you win the argument. I wonder how many relationships have been walked away from because one person wanted to be right more than they wanted to be happy. They won the argument at the expense of the relationship.

Why do we feel the need to defend our cause? I wonder if it is a lack of faith? The bible teaches that we should let God defend us. When we are the ones defending ourselves we leave no room for the justice of God to work for us. I see in the life of David that He trusted in God to work out the issues in his life.

Psalm 35:1-3

¹ O Lord, oppose those who oppose me. Fight those who fight against me. ² Put on your armor, and take up your shield. Prepare for battle, and come to my aid. ³ Lift up your spear and javelin
    against those who pursue me. Let me hear you say, “I will give you victory!”

I sense that this is a word for somebody reading today: “The fighting ceases as soon as you decide not to engage in the conflict.” Let God defend you. Let Him come to your aid.

When we constantly try to prove our point & be right, all we do is sever relationships & create wounds in the hearts of people we love. Let’s learn from Jesus that we can hold our tongue even when others are greatly in err. When we are being treated unfair we can practice humility the same way Jesus did. Teach us YOUR ways Lord! That is our cry today.

Pastor Richard Schlotter

How To Overcome The "I Can't" Attitude

Today’s Bible readings are Numbers 14:1-15:16, Mark 14:53-72, Psalm 53:1-6, & Proverbs 11:4

 

Numbers 14:1-4

Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. ² Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. ³ “Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” ⁴ Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!”

This had to be a very sad day for Moses. The next line in the bible tells us that Moses & Aaron fell face down to the ground after hearing this report. They must have been very disappointed. There was probably a fear that tried to get a hold of them, as well. They may have wondered if the people were going to turn on them physically. It was a very troubling time.

What was it that made these people so negative? Why did they so easily forget the things that God had done for them in the past? Why did they have so little faith after seeing so great miracles? I believe that the answer is that they still had a slave mentality.

They had been in bondage so long that they were totally beaten down inside. They I had what I call, the  “I Can’t” attitude. They had been dominated by the slave master so long & hard that they were broken in their own minds. There had been many times back in Egypt when they tried to overcome things only to be oppressed even more. They had been talked down to their whole lives. They had been called worthless slaves as long as they could remember. These things had become their reality. They had far more faith in their ability to fail than in God’s ability to prosper them & give them victory.

This same attitude is seen in the lives of many Christians. They have failed many times before. They have believed the lie that they will never succeed. They have agreed with the enemy that they can’t do certain things.

1.      I can’t succeed.

2.      I can’t stay sober.

3.      I can’t have a healthy relationship.

4.      I can’t be prosperous.

5.      I can’t be used of God.

6.      I don’t have anything to offer.

7.      I can’t overcome.

All of these thoughts are LIES. They are not true. They are the result of being of being in bondage. This is what happens to slaves. The slave master beats them down with these crushing lies so that he can control his subjects. The first thing that the slave master steals for the slave is HOPE. Without hope the slave becomes easy to control. Without hope, the slave master can keep his subjects from ever trying to escape the bondage.

This attitude can follow us even after we have been set free. Many people live life thinking like a slave even as free people. This is what was happening to Israel. They were still weak, powerless, slaves in their own minds. They thought they were mere grasshoppers. These people were going to miss out on the greatest thing that they would have ever seen—God’s great blessing & provision in the Promise Land.

Many people struggle with this same kind of attitude. It keeps them from experiencing God’s best in their lives. I want to share with you a few things that we can do to change our attitude into a “I Can, in Christ” attitude.

1.      Remember that God is in you.

When you gave you heart to Jesus Christ something changed in you. Your old, powerless nature was changed into a new overcoming nature. God’s Spirit came to make His home in you. God, by His Spirit that is in you, will empower you to do all things.

Philippians 4:13

¹³ For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

2.      Choose to agree with God’s Word.

Maybe you have been programmed to think as certain way based from your life experiences. Well, it is time to be reprogrammed then. Start reading God’s Word. Take special notice of all the things that God says about you now that you are a new creation. Regardless of what you feel, CHOOSE TO AGREE WITH GOD! Don’t call yourself the things that you use to call yourself. You have to start calling yourself the things that God calls you.

1.      You are strong in Him.

2.      You are filled with power from on high.

3.      You are victorious in all things.

4.      You have the mind of Christ.

5.      You are an overcomer.

6.      You have a purpose & a future.

7.      Satan has no hold on you.

This is your new destiny. Start talking about it. Start thinking about it. Let it fill your heart & mind instead of the garbage that has kept you in bondage.

3.      Trust in God.

At the end of the day it is God who has to make this all happen. He is the One who has given us His Word & His promise. He is going to be the One who brings it to pass. All the pressure is really on Him. That is so good to know because He is more than able to make this a reality.

Believe God. Live like the bible is true. Leave the rest in His hands.

Pastor Richard Schlotter